The Digital Nomad Lifestyle: How COVID-19 Changed the Future of Working Remotely

Technology > The Digital Nomad Lifestyle: How COVID-19 Changed the Future of Working Remotely

The Digital Nomad Lifestyle: How COVID-19 Changed the Future of Working Remotely

Remote work has changed over the past years from an alternative option to one of the most important choices for many organizations all over the world. COVID-19 accelerated this trend, and all of a sudden, businesses found themselves needing to adapt very fast to remote operations.


New trends and technologies in the future are foreseen to shape the future of remote work and redefine the topography of the workplace. Following is an article discussing some of the emerging trends and technologies that will finally shape the way we work in the forthcoming years.

The Rise of Hybrid Work Models


The second most prevalent trend within working from home is the development of hybrid models of work: employees split their work between time spent at home and in the office. This will provide the best of both worlds in terms of flexibility for employees but again aid with the need for collaboration in person. A PwC survey showed that 72% of workers prefer a hybrid model in an effort to emphasize flexibility and work-life balance.

With each passing day, more and more companies resort to hybrid work policies that let their working employees function according to multiple needs and preferences. This has also made the companies redesign their physical space to accommodate the new work model: collaborative zones for team meetings and brainstorming sessions, quiet spaces allowing employees to function at their best. These changes significantly improve employee satisfaction, leading to higher levels of productivity and better engagement.

Technology-Enabled Collaboration


In the future, remote work will likely be dependent on technology. As teams continue to get distributed, the need for seamless collaboration tools has never been higher. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and several other platforms have set the routine for virtual meetings, project management, and communication. However, further advances in AI and ML integrations within different tools are bound to come up with enhancements in areas of collaboration.



AI-driven platforms could track the dynamics of meetings, for instance, and provide insight into the level of activity participants display, along with suggesting ways collaboration could be improved. Virtual and augmented reality are also making their way into workspaces, enabling immersive virtual meetings and virtual brainstorming. That said, this would be able to simulate presence: those working from home will have a feeling of being part of a community. 

Employee Well-being


As remote work continued to evolve, concerns about employee well-being began to rise. Blurred boundaries between work and home life make organizations need to embed supportive mental health and work-life balance policies.

This has made companies start investing in wellness programs, mental health resources, and flexible working hours so they will not experience burnout and can create a healthier workplace.

Moreover, technology is increasingly being adopted for the orientation of wellness through support apps on mindfulness, meditation, and the practice of fitness tracking. These tools empower employees to manage their stress, yield productivity, and further a positive work culture that reaps benefit from an emphasis on care for the employee base. Prioritization of employee wellbeing can create positive impacts for organizational retention and attract top talent.

Focus on Cybersecurity


Working from home has brought in a host of cyber concerns. When employees access sensitive information from various locations and devices different from that of their employers, then the chances of cyber threats too go up.



In order to avoid such risks, companies take several measures to enhance cybersecurity: multi-factor authentication and VPNs among others. Moreover, employee training programs for cybersecurity have become an important form of investment initiatives for organizations these days.

In the times to come, there will be more emphasis on cybersecurity technologies, with AI and machine learning forming the heart of any threat detection and prevention system in real time. Organizations are also likely to move toward zero-trust security models that will assume threats can originate inside or outside the network and grant access to sensitive information to only authorized users.

Evolution of Talent Acquisition


The working revolution is equally changing how organizations acquire talent. Gone are the days when an organization needs to hire from locality. It can reach into the global labor pool. This opens up a lot of doors in diversity in hiring, finding specialized skills unavailable locally.

The good thing about recruitment technologies is that they make it easier for organizations to go about the process in an organized and streamlined manner. This includes AI-driven applicant tracking systems that can parse resumes, screen candidates, and even execute a first-round interview via chatbots. With the concept of working remotely taking precedence, companies will have to buckle up their ideas to move with the competitive talent market.

The future of Working,

The future of working from home is bright: hybrid models, advanced technologies, a focus on employee well-being, better cybersecurity, and opening up talent across borders. It is by embracing such trends that organizations will be responsive not only to the changing environment but also in establishing a workplace culture of inclusiveness and flexibility.


In fact, through embracing the power of technology and taking care of employee needs first, companies put themselves in a position to thrive in this new era of work. Innovations for the next several years will ensure success.

By Prince Parfait

Last updated on October 18

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